Massaging device



I United States Patent 1 1 3,543,747

[72] inventor Edwin P-Gustafson 1,192,093 7/1916 Moss 401/39 64 Washington St., Forestvllle, Connecticut FQREIGN PATENTS 06010 [2!] App! Nu 723,952 13,546 7/1881 Germany 15/161 [22] Filed April 24, 1968 Primary Examiner-L. W. Trapp [45] Patented Dec. 1,1970 Attorney-Roy L. Parsell [54] MASSAGING DEVICE 6 Claims, 11 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl. 128/67, CT: A massaging medium uni mounted on a mat 128/62 128/65 like base which can be placed on a floor surface such as a [51] lnLCl A61h7/00 Shower h or bath u The massaging medium is [50] Field of Search 128/24- f d into various shapes and contours to make Substantial -26, 62, 65, 67; 4/184; 15/1 12, 160, 161; 401/10. contact coverage with the surface of the body portion such as 23, 39 a foot or hand. The action is effected by moving the body member relative to the medium while they are in engagement. [56] cm One embodiment includes a reservoir for holding a flowable UNITED STATES PATENTS material which can filter through the medium to the surface of 66,489 7/1867 Gudehus et al. 15/1 12 the body being massaged.

MASSAGING DEVICE This invention relates to a portable massaging device and in particular to a device which can be mounted on a surface such as a floor or a bath tub.

My invention is especially helpful in adapting itself for use by elderly or partially incapacitated persons who for one reason or another find it difficult if not impossible to apply a massaging medium to certain parts of the body as for example extremities as feet and ankles.

It is therefore one of the objects of my invention to provide a massaging device having a base portion comprising a flexible surface engaging area to retain the massaging medium in a desired position. I

Another object is to provide a device for mounting the massaging medium which can be formed into various shapes and convolutions to engage the surfaces to be treated.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device for therapeutic treatment of limbs.

I Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I shows a plan view of my device adapted to reposing on a floor surface;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section somewhat enlarged on line 2-2 of FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section on line 4-4 of FIG. 3 also somewhat enlarged;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section somewhat enlarged taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a vertical section somewhat enlarged taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 5; i

FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional elevation of another embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal elevation partially in section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. It is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a slightly different embodiment of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9; and

FIG. II is a sectional elevation on line 11-11 of FIG. 10.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2, the numeral 10 denotes one embodiment of my invention in the general form of a portable mat having a base portion 11 of flexible material such as rubber or plastic having a thickened area 12 for mounting the massaging medium 13. This medium 13 consists of strand like elements 14 of flexible material of the desired resilience such as Nylon to properly massage the body to be treated looped over a retaining wire 15 and protruding upwardly above the area 12. The material comprising the thickened area 12 is molded around the retaining wire 15 and includes a portion of the strand like element 14 thus securely anchoring the strand elements 14' to form the massaging medium. I may provide suitable feet or suction cups 16 to prevent the base 11 from skidding when in engagement with a smooth v floor surface as for example a shower stall or bath tub.

In another embodiment (FIGS. and 4) I form my massaging medium by mounting the strand elements 17 between the walls of'a metal tube 18 having slot like opening 19 and pressing walls 18 firmly together against the strand elements I7. I vary the lengths of-the strand elements l7 so that the ends thereof will engage the 'area to be massaged over a substantial distance as shown in FIG. 4. In the preferred form of this embodiment I form the massage medium 13 in the form of a U, so spaced as to make engagement with a substantial area to be treated as a foot and ankle.

I may permanently mount the medium 13 on a mat base 11 by any suitable means such as a cement or by means of a dovetail groove 34 (FIG. 4) molded in the base 11 rendering the massage medium 13} removable when so desired.

In another embodiment of my invention (see FIGS. 5,6 and .7 I use a body engaging medium 1351 Consisting of clusters of solid monofila ment fibres incorporated into a cylindrical shape by twisting with a stem of wires which grip-the filaments 17 between the convolutions thereof. i V

The wire stem 20 carrying the massaging medium I3l is bent into a U-shape (FIG. 7 or such configuration as would effectively treat the desired body portion as for example a foot and ankle and then mounted on the base 21 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In the preferred embodiment I. arrange several of these stern constructed massaging media 13! side by side as shown in FIG.. 5 to form an elongated valley in which to receive, for example, the foot and ankle or hand and arm.

For. holding these massaging media 131 for the desired use I mount them on a flexible base mat 21 of molded rubberor plastic material having a pair of oppositely spaced upstanding flanges 22.

Into each flange 22 I secure by molding or other suitable means a flat plate 23 of metal or plastic having slots 24 to receive the stems 20 carrying the massaging medium 13'1. I may instead mold the flanges 22with overhanging slotted portions corresponding to the plates 23. With such a construction it is possible to replace the stems 20, as desired, with new ones. I i I also provide a third anchoring means (FIG. 7) at the bot tom of the massaging-medium somewhat similar to that used on the sides consisting of a flat plate 35 having a vertical slot 36 open at the top to receive the stem 20 at the bottom of its valley. The plate 35 is mounted on the base 21 by being inserted in a boss 37 molded on the base 21.

In another embodiment ofmy invention as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 a horizontal massaging medium 25 directed upwardly is disposed to engage the bottom portion ofa body member such as a foot and an arch like massaging medium 26 is mounted above the horizontal medium 25 to engage the upper surfaces of the body member as for example the foot member just referred'to. I provide the strands 27 with varying lengths for engaging the various contours .of the foot for example, and also to enter the spaces between the toes. I may also vary the flexibility of the strands 27 for engaging the various areas by using different combinations of thickness and materials as well as densities of the groups of strands 27.

The massaging media 25 26 may be molded in a unitary structure which includes both strands and a backing. I may construct the massaging media 26-27 by inserting clusters of strands into apertures formed in the backing 28. I may also mold the strands 27 into a backing 28 using the anchoring wires as previously described.

In the embodimentjust described and shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 I provide means for temporarily holding the assembled massaging unit to a supporting surface such as a floor or bottom of a bath tub which means may preferably be suction cups.

In a somewhat modifiedembodiment (see FIGS. 10 and 11) of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, I provide separate massaging units 2S and 26 which I mount adjacent each other on a mat like base 29 either permanently or removably as desired. For the latter purpose I provide oppositely disposed guide ways 30 mounted on mat base 29 to receive flange portions 31 of upper arch like unit 26 which in turn rest on an extension of backing 28 of lower unit 25, so that both units 25 and 26 may be removed or replaced by sliding inthe guide ways 20 as may be desired.

On the top of upper unit 26 I provide, when so desired, a reservoir 32 for holding a flowable massage or antiseptic material which can sweep downwardly through appropriate apertures 33 to the limb being massaged to provide therapeutic treatment.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and combina tion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

, respectively for engagement with the surfaces to be massaged;

said units disposed in relation to each other so that the filaments of said first units are directed toward the filaments of said second unit for engaging a portion of the body to be massaged when the body portion is placed between said units; and means for mounting said units on said base.

2. In the device of claim 1 said means for mounting said units on said base comprising oppositely disposed guide ways mounted on said base; said first unit disposed on said base between said guide ways; said second unit disposed. between said guide ways and having flanges engaging said guide ways and said first unit whereby both said units are slidably retained on said base. i 3. in the device of claim 2 said second massaging medium unit having a reservoir portion for containing flowable material in engagement with said backing portion; and said reservoir portion having means disposed through said backing portion to permit the flow of the fiowable material to'the vicinity of said filaments for subsequent engagement with the surface to be massaged.

' 4,. A device for massaging portions of the body comprising a first massaging medium portion having a backing disposed in a general plane formation; a second massaging medium portion having a backing disposed in an archlike formation; said massaging medium portions having a plurality of elongated filaments mounted in spaced groups protruding from said backing portions respectively for engagement with the surface to be massaged; the lengths'of the filaments in a plurality of the groups disposed at one end being longerthan the lengths of the filaments ofa plurality of the groups disposed at the opposite end; and said backing portions disposed in spaced relation to each other to receive there between the body to be massaged.

5. In a massaging device according to claim I wherein the first unit contains a plurality of spaced groups of filaments, the second unit contains a plurality of spaced groups of filaments and the groups of filaments disposed in one end portion of the second unit having longer filaments than the groups in the remaining portion of the second unit.

'6. in the massaging device according to claim 5 wherein the filaments in the first unit are iess flexible than the filaments in the second unit. 

